1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to thickened liquid polymers containing at least two active hydrogen atoms per molecule wherein said polymers are thickened utilizing a combination of an inorganic filler and a tertiary alkanol monoamine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Inorganic materials have long been used as fillers, pigments, reinforcements, and chemical reactants in liquid polymer mixtures. Many of the inorganic fillers are hydrophilic, that is, they are easily wetted by water and also may absorb water. Their compatibility with polymers is generally limited and, therefore, relatively poor utilization is obtained of the potential reinforcement, color, opacity, or chemical reactivity possible with such inorganic fillers, pigments, and reinforcing agents.
It has been proposed to employ surface active agents to facilitate the incorporation of inorganic materials into liquid polymers. The known surface active agents have many shortcomings when utilized for this purpose. For instance, many surface active agents utilized to disperse inorganic fillers in liquid polymers provide poor shelf stability of the mixture as well as limited ability to completely disperse large amounts of filler materials in the liquid polymers.
The compositions of the present invention provide a means of increasing the viscosity of filled liquid polymers so as to provide improved stability of the mixture of liquid polymer and filler. By the process of the invention, large amounts of filler are easily dispersed in liquid polymers without substantial phase separation.